Career Guide

People watch what you do more than they listen to what you say. A productive team needs a productive leader. It is important that your employees see you putting in as much energy as them – if not more. Be excited by new challenges, show real enthusiasm, and demonstrate your love for the job.

Encourage your members to do their best and encourage them to learn new skills. Show them how you can help them meet their goals while achieving the organisation’s goals. Create a partnership with each employee.

Give employees a sense of ownership in their work and work environment. This can be symbolic (business cards for all employees, whether they need them or not) and literal (give employees the opportunity to take full ownership of projects – acknowledge their accomplishments and guide them when they face difficulties).

Show your employees that you value input and collaboration. This applies to your team members and peers – show them you respect them and include your peers.

Be willing to share more than just your successes; share your failures too. Others will relate to you when they recognise that they’re not the only ones with challenges. As a leader, showing that you are human with your own set of fl aws will likely enable you to garner more respect from your followers.

As a leader, you have more to share than you realise. Share the rich experiences of your life and your wisdom from your unique point of view. You may be the only one who can touch someone with your inspiring message.

Everyone goes through tough times. When you support people and encourage them through these times, you’ll be inspiring them to see the best in themselves and in the situation.

When something goes wrong, don’t blame the person inconsiderately. Analyse the reasons that caused the issue in the first place. If you are always pointing the finger, employees will feel tense, which can restrict initiative and innovation. Even if a serious offence takes place, use it as an opportunity to review your recruitment process. It may be that you are not asking the right questions at interviews.

Respect that different incentives motivate different people in different ways. Get to know each member of your staff and show that you understand them by being flexible to their personal situations.

No one is going to take a special interest in you or care about what you have to say until they know how much you care. Ask questions. Take a genuine interest in people.